Department of Applied Plant Science
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The role of Multi Actor Communities of practice in dissemination of push-pull technology
(Ajol, 2024-09-12)Maize production is the main source of income in rural western Kenya, where 70% of the population lives below the poverty line. Many maize farmers over the years have been experiencing losses in their production that are ... -
Host specificity controlled by PWL1 and PWL2 effector genes in the finger millet blast pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae in eastern Africa
(Mol Plant Microbe Interact., 2023)Magnaporthe oryzae, a devastating pathogen of finger millet (Eleusine coracana), secretes effector molecules during infec tion to manipulate host immunity. This study determined the presence of avirulence effector ... -
Post‐attachment resistance to Striga hermonthica in finger millet (Eleusine coracana)
(John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., 2023-11-21)Finger millet is a highly nutritious and climate-resilient cereal crop. Despite its importance, finger millet productivity in East Africa trails other cereals due to several biotic and abiotic factors, including the parasitic ... -
Molecular Breeding for Iron Toxicity Tolerance in Rice ( Oryza sativa L.)
(John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., 2023-11-03)Rice consumption is on an upward trajectory worldwide based on changes in eating habits, population growth, and ease of cooking and yet rice production is not keeping up. There are many constraints including abiotic stresses ... -
Combination of linkage and association mapping with genomic prediction to infer QTL regions associated with gray leaf spot and northern corn leaf blight resistance in tropical maize
(Frontiers, 2023-11-07)Among the diseases threatening maize production in Africa are gray leaf spot (GLS) caused by Cercospora zeina and northern corn leaf blight (NCLB) caused by Exserohilum turcicum. The two pathogens, which have high genetic ... -
Southwestern Kenya’s smallholder dairy farmers’ climate change perceptions, knowledge and adaptation
(African Journal of Agricultural Research, 2024-01)Globally, climate change (CC) adaptation is critical as CC compounds smallholder dairy farmers’ challenges. Farmers’ CC perceptions and knowledge could influence their CC adaptations. This study in Southwestern Kenya ... -
A high-density linkage map of finger millet provides QTL for blast resistance and other agronomic traits
(Wiley, 2021-12-13)Finger millet [Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.] is a critical subsistence crop in eastern Africa and southern Asia but has few genomic resources and modern breeding programs. To aid in the understanding of finger millet ... -
Determining the Incidence and Severity of Maize Ear Rot Disease in Western Kenya
(Emerging Challenges in Agriculture and Food Science, 2022-09-28)The purpose of this study is to determine the incidence and severity of the symptoms of ear rot in the four counties in Western Kenya. Maize ear rot disease is caused by a complex relationship involving the fungal pathogens; ... -
Non-host resistance to the finger millet blast pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae is modulated by a resistance response to PWL1 and PWL2 in Eragrostis curvula but not in related Chloridoid species
(2023-05-28)Magnaporthe oryzae, a devastating pathogen of finger millet (Eleusine coracana), secretes effector molecules during infection to manipulate host immunity. This study determined the presence of avirulence effector genes ... -
Genome analyses reveal population structure and a purple stigma color gene candidate in finger millet
(Nature Publishing Group UK, 2023-06-21)Finger millet is a key food security crop widely grown in eastern Africa, India and Nepal. Long considered a ‘poor man’s crop’, finger millet has regained attention over the past decade for its climate resilience and the ... -
Sorghum is an important staple food crop in Kenya, but its yield is low due to many constraints which include diseases, drought, soil fertility, and pests, notably parasitic weed Striga hermonthica. Twenty elite sorghum genotypes and one resistant check were evaluated in three replications in a complete randomized design in Agar Gel (AG) experiment and randomized complete block design on selected Striga hotspot farms at Kadel and Nyahera in western Kenya. Significant differences (p<0.001) were realized both in the fields (plant height, dry shoot biomass yield, grain yield, field Striga count, and Striga damage ratings) and in the AG experiment with respect to maximum germination distance and numbers of induced germinated Striga seeds. Among the sorghum genotypes evaluated under field conditions, T53B, N57, N68, C26, IESV 92036-SH, T30B, and Uyoma 47 White genotypes had stable yields under Striga infestation in the two sites, whereas Nyadundo 1, Nyadundo 2, and Uyoma 8 were susceptible. In the AG experiment, E117B, T30B, Uyoma 8, Uyoma 42 STR, and T53B induced high numbers of germinated Striga seeds with maximum germination distances (MGD). In contrast, Uyoma 47 Brown, IESV 92038/2-SH, and IESV 92036-SH sorghum genotypes secreted low amounts of SLS suggesting resistance. This study has identified and selected four Striga tolerant (T53B, N68, N57, and T 30B) and resistant (C 26, Uyoma 47 Brown, IESV 92038/2-SH, and IESV 92036- SH) sorghum genotypes which can be utilized in further research programs or adopted to improve sorghum productivity in the highly Striga infested regions of western Kenya.
(Academic Journals, 2021)Sorghum is an important staple food crop in Kenya, but its yield is low due to many constraints which include diseases, drought, soil fertility, and pests, notably parasitic weed Striga hermonthica. Twenty elite sorghum ... -
Genetic association of agronomic traits with partial resistance to gray leaf spot in elite maize germplasm.
(John Wiley & Sons, 2022)Studies on gray leaf spot (GLS) of maize have reported inconsistencies in the relationship between partial disease resistance and agronomic traits. Understanding this variation could facilitate the use of agronomic traits ... -
Multiple-bean varieties as a strategy for minimizing production risk and enhancing yield stability in smallholder systems
(Cambridge University Press, 2019)Abate, T. and Ampofo, J.K.O. (1996). Insect pests of beans in Africa: their ecology and management. Annual Review of Entomology 41, 45–73.Google ScholarPubMed Ahmed, F.E., Hall, A.E. and DeMason, D.A. (1992). Heat injury ... -
Stem bark extracts of Erythrina excelsa (Baker) and their biological activities
(2016)The species is known from Southern Nyanza, Migori in Kenya. The extraction of the stem bark was done sequentially using organic solvents starting with the least polar; n-hexane then dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and ... -
A ten-year study of Retinoblastoma in Uganda: An approach to improving outcome with limited resources
(Elsevier, 2021)Survival of children with cancer in resource-limited regions is very poor compared to better-resourced regions. Retinoblastoma (RB) is a childhood cancer that is commonly reported in many regions of Africa. RB may be safely ... -
New evaluation of Alternaria brassicicola isolates against Striga hermonthica seeds emergence on maize in Kenya
(JRWS, 2021)Striga hermonthica (Del.) Benth is also known as witchweed, is a highly noxious parasite of cereal in Sub- Saharan Africa leading to enormous economic losses of above 7 billion US$ yearly. Some of the suggested control ... -
Depletion of phosphate rock reserves and world food crisis: Reality or hoax?
(African Journal of Agricultural Research, 2020)Phosphate rock (PR) deposits are the major source of phosphate (P) fertilizers for soil fertility replenishment. The demand for P fertilizers in the year 2014 was 42,706,000 tons and was expected to reach 46,648,000 tons ... -
Depletion of phosphate rock reserves and world food crisis: Reality or hoax?
(African Journal of Agricultural Research, 2020)Phosphate rock (PR) deposits are the major source of phosphate (P) fertilizers for soil fertility replenishment. The demand for P fertilizers in the year 2014 was 42,706,000 tons and was expected to reach 46,648,000 tons ... -
Mechanistic understanding of iron toxicity tolerance in contrasting rice varieties from Africa: 1. Morpho-physiological and biochemical responses
(CSIRO PUBLISHING, 2018)Iron (Fe) is a fundamental element involved in various plant metabolic processes. However, when Fe uptake is excessive, it becomes toxic to the plant and disrupts cellular homeostasis. The aim of this study was to ... -
Economic Evaluation of Organic and Inorganic Sources of Nitrogen under Striga Infestation in Western Kenya
(Journal of Experimental Agriculture International, 2020)Due to escalating cost of imported fertilizers, there is renewed interest in the use of local nutrient resources in managing soil fertility in Kenya. The effect of integrated use of urea and Calliandra or maize stover ...
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